Push-button switch



Feb. 13, i923.

F. SAUCZUK PUSH BUTTON SWITCH kv l Original Filed Dec.

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ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 13, 1923.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK SAUCZUK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH.

Application filed December 8, 1919, Serial No. 343,255.

To all 107mm it 01u14/ concer/n Be it known that I, F RANK SAUCZUK, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn,county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Push- Button Switches, of which the following isa specification.

My present invention relates to push button switches, and particularlyto switches of this character which are made up in gangs for use inapartment houses and the like.

In push button switches as now made up, the wires have to be broughtthrough from the back of the switch base to the contacts at the frontthereof. This involves threading the wires through holes provided in thebase and catching the ends thereof beneath the terminal screws providedon the front of the base. This requires time and skill, and the holesnecessary for such wires provide access of moisture and dust to thecontacts resulting in corrosion of the contacts and im perfect operationthereof.

The objects of invention are to do away with these various objections,to entirely protect the contacts from corrosion and dust, to makepossible wiring of the switch from the back thereof and withoutdisassembling the parts, and to accomplish all this with a simple,practical, durable and inexpensive construction.

The invention involves a number of novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be fullydisclosed in the following specification.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Ihave disclosed the invention embodied in hut one practical forni, butwould have it understood that cl'ianges and modifications may be made,without departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawing referred to Figure 'l is a broken front elevation of agang switch of the apartment house type embodying the features of myinvention, the circuit connections therefor being indicated in adiagrammatic Way.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the switch takensubstantially on the plane of the line 2f- 2 of Figure 1.

Renewed October 3, 1921. Serial No. 505,115.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof the line of Figure l.

The construction illustrated is what is known as a two gang switch madeup of two gang units having the separate bases 5 and 6 secured by screws7 to the back of a front plate 8 which serves as a cover for the twoswitch bases.

The switch base in each instance consists of a block of insulatingmaterial such as wood, provided in its front face with a series of seats9 for the push button contacts. rlhese seats may simply be cavitiesformed. in the face of the block by a suitable boring tool. Connectingthe several seats is a passage 10 which I have indicated as a slotcut inthe face of the block to substantially the depth of the seats, said slotbeing shown as intersecting the central portions of the seats. Engagedin this slot or groove, is a conductor 11 shown in the form of aninsulated, wire having the insulation removed therefrom at the centralportions of the seats and as having such non-insulated portions caughtbeneath the screws 12 which form the center contacts of the several pushbuttons.

The side contacts of the push buttons are designated 13 and are shown asconstructed of spring metal having yielding portions disposed above thecenter contacts and engaged by the operating buttons 14, and as havingflat base portions 15 resting on the supporting base and secured theretoby the overlying reinforcing plates 16. These reinforcing plates are ofmetal and are provided with screw seats li' therein to receive the endsof the binding screws 1S which are passed through troni the hack of thehace. These reinforcing plates are also iiulepenn dcntly held to thebase by screws lil eatenffl`V ing through the same and through the baseportions of the spring contacts into the body of t-he base, and whichscrews, particularl)v in the case of a wooden base, may simply heordinary wood screws.

By this construction it will be seen that the contacts are securely heldto the front of the base even though the terminal screws be removed, andthat the terminals or binding posts Ator the individual switches are alllocated at the back of the base and accessible for wiring withoutremoving the base from the face plate or panel. lt will be furthermoreclear that the switch base is thus left closed at the back so that thecontact mechanism is entirely protected.

A common terminal for the center' contacts is provided similar to theterminal plat-es 1 6 already referred to. This terminal plate isdesignated 2O and like the other terminal plates is shown secured on thefront of the base by a screw 21 passed therethrough into the body of thebase, and as having a screw seat to receive the terminal screw 22,extended through from the back ofthe base into engagement therewith. Thesecuring screw 2l is, in the illustration, utilized also as a bindingscrew for fastening the end of the common conductor ll thereto, (Fig.2.)

To insure good electrical conductivity, metallicl washers 23 may besetin the bach of the base beneath the heads of the binding screws, in themanner indicated in Fig. 3, to form metallic seats for the circuitwires.

` The circuit connections may vary to suit different requirements, butin Fig. l, l have illustrated a typical bell wiring system in which aconductor 24 is led from the battery or other current source to thesingle binding screw for the center contacts, and separate'wires 25 areled to the binding posts 18 forthe individual switches. Where the gangsare madeup in groups of two or more, a common battery wire 24 may beextended from the binding post 22 of one switch base to thecorresponding binding post on the adjacent switch base, as indicated at26 in Fig. l.

lVhat I claim is:

Il.. A push button gang switch comprising a base provided with seats forpush button contacts and with a slot intersecting the several seats, aconductor laid in said slot, center contacts in said seats andelectrically connected with said conductor, and side contacts in theseats and arranged for engagement with the center contacts.

2. il push button gang switch comprising a base provided with seats forpush button contacts and with a slot intersecting the several seats, aconductor laid in said slot, center contacts in said seats andelectrically connected with said conductor, side contacts in the seatsandarranged for engagement with thecenter contacts, a terminal for thecenter contacts located on the back of the base and electricallyconnected with the conductor aforesaid, and other terminals on the bachof the base electrically connected with the individual side contacts.

A push button gang switch comprising a base closed at the back, andprovided. with seats for push button contacts inthe `face thereof,v andwith a passage connecting said several seats, a conductor laid in saidpassage, contacts in the seats electrically connected with saidconductor, a terminal at the bach of the base electrically connectedwith said conductor, contacts in the seats for engagement with the firstmentioned contacts, and individual terminals for said last mentionedcontacts at the hack of the base.

Il. push button gang switch comprising a base closed at the back, andprovided with seats for push button contacts in the face thereof, andwith a passage connecting said several seats, a conductor laid in saidpassage, contacts in the seats electrically connected with saidconductor, a terminal at the back of the base electrically connectedwith said conductor, contacts in the seats for engagement with the firstmentioned contacts, individual terminals for said last mentionedcontacts at the back of the base, said contact seats being in the formof cavities in the face of the base, and a cover plate closing saidcavities, whereby dust and moisture are excluded from such cavities at`all sides.

5. In a push button switch, a supporting base, a contact mountedthereon, a second contact having a portion for engagement with the firstcontact and having a securing portion engaged with the base, a securingmember passed through the supporting portion of said second contact intothe base,

and a machine screw passed through the' back of the base into engagementwith said supporting portion and providing a binding post at the back ofthe base in electrical connection withsaid supporting portion.

6. ln a push button switch, a supporting base, a contact mountedthereon, a second contact having a portion for engagement with the firstcontact and having a securing portion engaged with the base, a securingmember passed through the supporting portion of said second contact intothe base, a machine screw passed through the back of the base intoengagement with said supporting portion and providing a binding post atthe back of the base in electrical connection with said supportingportion, and a metallic washer setin the back of the base beneath thehead of said machine screw.

7. ln a push button switch, a supporting base, of wood or similarmaterial, a contact mounted on the face thereof, a second contact havinga portion for engagement `with the first Contact andhaving a securingportion engaged with the face of thebase, a metallic reinforcementapplied over the se-. curing portion, a siimnoiftiiig screw passed.through said reinforcement and securing portion into the body of thebase, said, reinforcement having a screw seat therein and a bindingscrew passed through from the back of the base into engagement with saidscrew seat.

8. ln a .push lutton switch, a base protants in the cavities inelectrical connection with said wire, a terminal at the back of the basen electrical connection With said Wire, contacts in the cavities forcooperation with the rst mentioned contacts, and individual terminalsfor seid Contacts located on the back of the base.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand.

FRANK SAUCZUK.

